Man badly burnt after mobile catches fire

A man is suffering burns to over 50 per cent of his body after a
mobile phone he was carrying in a pocket caught fire.

Luis Picaso, 59, is in stable condition with second- and
third-degree burns to his upper body, back, right arm and right
leg.

Firefighters arrived at the residential hotel in Vallejo,
California on Saturday night to find Picaso lying on the bathroom
floor after a malfunctioning mobile in his pants pocket set fire to
his nylon and polyester clothes, Vallejo Fire Department assistant
chief Kurt Henke said.

The flames spread to a plastic chair, setting off a sprinkler
that held the fire in check, he said.

Authorities declined to name the phone's manufacturer and
model.

The fire and water caused $US75,000 damage to the room and a
business on the ground floor.